Welcome to Hyrule
by SkieLoon
Summary: Full Summary Inside. Two best friends won a sweepstakes that let them be the first to play a full-immersion game set in a full scale model of Hyrule. Though something goes wrong as their adventure progresses. Wasn't this place supposed to be just a game?
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summary**:

_Welcome to Hyrule_: A story about living out any Zelda geek's dream come true.

Two young women, best friends Kristie and Pheno, won a sweepstakes that got them the tickets to be the first people ever to test out and play a game that has become a global phenomenon and has the internet absolutely buzzing-

_**Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time  
Welcome to Hyrule**_

No, it is not some virtual reality game that requires a headset and a comfy chair. No no no, this game is a full immersion adventure that drops the players right into a full-scale model of the entire country of Hyrule. Players must defeat holographic monsters, solve puzzles, outsmart bad guys, wander the giant expanse of Hyrule Field, get lost in the Lost Woods, and dig around tall grass for Rupees. In short, this is your chance to actually stick yourself into the game and play all the way through.

So of course, Pheno and Kristie are ecstatic, being the first to test the game out. What Zelda fan wouldn't be?  
Though something goes wrong as their adventure progresses. Something very wrong. Something that makes the monsters able to draw blood and their fake swords able to cut flesh. Something that sends them to a place they only thought existed in a game. Something that is _supposed _to be just a game.

...

Well.

_Welcome to Hyrule_.

* * *

This is actually mostly just a way for me to practice my writing while givin' my buddy a present, since this is about the two of us being total geek-oids, hurr hurr xD I thought it'd be cool to post it up on my fanfic page since I need to update more things here anyway. Feedback and constructive crit is always amazing (but if there are any typos, noting every single one of those doesn't really count as concrit xD) I mean structure, pacing, all of that. Any tips would be wonderful :3

Anywho. Enjoy, I suppose. Ho ho ho.

* * *

.

.

The two girls were surprised at how quickly the paper-signing went. In all honesty they had been expecting a stack that would take hours, at least. But as the two friends sat at a heavy wooden desk in a small, boxy office with bare walls, they found themselves pausing over the last sheet.

Well, it was to be expected that they were asked to sign a waiver. It could supposedly be a dangerous game, what the two of them were about to step into. The company running it would not take any responsibilities for any injuries the two of them might ring up along the way, and they wanted the girls to know it, plain and simple. Lawsuits were never fun, so getting that bit out of the way was a good idea right from the start.

The hesitation lasted only a split second, and the two scrawled their names on the right lines, and placed the waiver on top of the small 'finished' pile in front of them. The instant they did, the door in front of them, on the other side of the desk, swung open, and in walked the tall man, Charles, whom had led them along this far.

"Paperwork all done then?" he asked, grinning wide, business suit unwrinkled, blonde hair neatly trimmed, face cleanly shaven.

"Yyyep," drawled the smaller of the two girls, her short red hair bobbing a bit as she nodded, glasses staying put on the bridge of her nose.

"Wasn't a whole lot to deal with in the first place," said the other, placing one hand on the wooden armrest of her chair while the other brushed back the ponytail of dark hair off of her shoulder and back to its proper place behind her.

"Makes things easy, doesn't it?"

"I guess," the dark haired girl began, smiling a bit as her friend cut in, saying the words that had been spinning in her mind for weeks now.

"So does this mean we can finally start?" the red-head asked, steel eyes wide and unblinking, like a child begging its mother for something expensive and wonderful for Christmas, all that hope and excitement so evident behind those irises. "'Cause I'm ready right now. You ready?" she looked at her friend.

"Yes, Kristie," she laughed. "Calm down for a second."

"Ican'tcalmdown."

"Yeah I know."

"Yes," Charles grinned. "Yes, you can begin right away if you want. I'm sorry for the delay yesterday. You were supposed to start then, but one of the main virtual cores was acting up and we had to fix it."

"No worries," said the dark haired girl with a wave of her hand. "I'm probably going to miss bacon and eggs for breakfast for quite a while anyway, huh?" she grinned.

"Pheno shsh," Kristie hissed. "Don't jinx us. We might get bacon and eggs. You never know."

"Yeah. Okay, sure. You ever see bacon and eggs in the game?"

"…Well we still might get some."

Charles cleared his throat and the two narrowed their attention back on him. "Your gear is in the other room. We can suit you up whenever you're ready."

"Shit if I'm not ready," Kristie all but sprung from her chair, the wooden thing creaking across the floorboards in a rush as Pheno pressed her own chair back and stood. "Shiiit if I haven't been waiting for this for like. My whole life. Am I right, or am I right?" she grinned, looking at Pheno.

"Oh, you're totally right."

Charles motioned for them to follow and the two left the desk, their finished paperwork, and the door they had come in through only a short while ago from the outside world. A world they wouldn't be seeing for what could be a good long while.

The second door led into another room, and though a big larger than the previous room, the look of it changed dramatically. It felt as if you were stepping back in time; the wood was old and worn looking instead of polished and brand new, and where there was paint it was cracked and dry looking. There was a countertop at one end, like that of a store, and a door beside it. The dull din of a crowd could be heard just outside, and sunlight filtered in through the cracks around the sides of the door.

Charles stepped up behind the counter and began digging around behind it.

"You start out with these, of course," he said, and placed two pairs of thick leather gloves on the counter. "As well as wrist braces, these are also how you track your health," he told them as the two girls snatched up the gloves greedily, slipping them on and grinning wide when each was a perfect fit. "The three leather bands may feel a bit strange at first," he went on, reaching out and tapping at Kristie's wrist on one of the thick, strong bands that covered her wrist and a good part of her lower arm as well. "But they're important, seeing as how they protect your health meter. Turn your left hands. Palms up. I need to turn them on."

The two girls did as they were told, all but bouncing on their heels, eager for him to really just stop talking so they could walk out that door, but at the same time overly fascinated with what else they were going to receive.

Charles took out a small remote from the counter and forced the black button down over each of their upturned wrists in turn, and as he did so, three red lights came to life beneath a thin layer of leather, bright enough to see clearly. The lights were shaped like hearts.

"You start out with three," Charles went on, putting the remote away. "I'm sure you know you can earn more as you go along?"

"Yep yep," Kristie nodded.

"We both played through most of the game as soon as we found out we won the sweepstakes for this," Pheno nodded. "So yeah, we know."

"Oh, good," Charlie grinned, pleased. "You also get these." When he lifted two short swords up from the guts of the counter, the two girls all but buzzed, reaching out and taking the weapons eagerly. The swords were very light, and the blade smooth, not sharp at all. Even the point was dulled, and the handle was wrapped in something soft. "When you fight something, you don't have to worry about actually cutting it of course. Everything you run into, for the most part, will be holographic. Everything else…well, you'll have to figure out what to do with those enemies when you reach them."

The girls continued to buzz, looking over their new lifelines, excited.

"You can also buy different weapons if you want, during the game. Might be a bit expensive, some of the ones you can choose from, but save up I suppose. Some different weapons do more damage, or have some other extra feature on them. You'll have to keep an eye out for things like that. Oh! Also."

He lifted up two pair of boots then from behind the counter. "Like your gloves, they're designed to fit you perfectly."

While the two girls took the boots, he cleared his throat again. "I'm sure you read that this is a full immersion type game. A sweatshirt and jeans won't really work." He looked over both of them, and at the hoodies they both sported. "The changing rooms are right back there," he nodded towards a small door in the back of the room beside a rickety looking table. "Here are your clothes. When you're changed, leave your old set on that table, and we'll hold them for you until you're both finished with the game."

"How long do we have again?"

"Long as it takes," Charles shrugged. "Oh, or," he began, perking as if remembering something important. "of course, when or if you want to quit. We're not forcing you to complete anything. If you want to stop, you will be let out. Don't worry about that. If you are injured, again, we'll either escort you to the nearest hospital or toss some antibacterial bandages your way. Whichever you prefer. You read the papers on that."

He paused.

"…Though…try. Not to get injured. Please?" He laughed a little. "You are our first players, winners that you are. It would be a horrible mark on our record for the first group to try the game to get hurt. Just be careful. The terrain can get a bit tricky, but we've downsized some things to make them…well. Not deadly." Another laugh. "Do you have any questions? Any more concerns we didn't already talk about over the phone?"

"…Uhm." Kristie glanced up at the ceiling, thinking.

"How much would all this cost if we hadn't won that drawing?"

"Oh, quite a bit," Charles said truthfully. "But honestly the price isn't set in stone yet. The first few players will probably get some sort of discount, and as popularity to play increases we may lower prices if enough people come in. I mean. The place is certainly large enough to hold many, many players at once. And then we would get those who would just like to explore."

"But we get it all to ourselves, right?" Pheno arched a brow.

"Completely," Charles nodded.

"Oh maaan," Kristie squeaked, voice shrill. "Okay. Okay, I'm all good."

"Alright then. I'll leave you to it. If you have any questions, feel free to stop by this office while you are in the town. It doesn't count as backing out, coming in here. Oh! One more thing, I'm sorry," he held up a hand as the two girls turned to head back for the changing rooms. "I'll leave these on the counter for you," he said, placing a couple small, paper-thin squares on the countertop. "Maps. I almost forgot about these. They give you your location, in case you're lost. There's also a feature where you can ask it for a hint about where you need to go next if you're stuck, and a small dot of light will appear for you as an answer. Though as soon as the voice command is made, you lose one heart of health as a consequence."

"Pffft, hints," Pheno scoffed.

"I know right," Kristie grinned.

Charles circled back around the counter and went back into the small office-like room with the desk, leaving them alone. The girls entered a small hall-like room for changing that reminded the two of the sort in clothing stores, and hopped in their own stalls.

"Can't believe we're totally doing this," Kristie hummed, looking over her new clothes for the first time. Gray pants that came with a leather belt, gray-green undershirt and a dark brown overshirt that was meant to be held together by only a few buttons at the front. "Man I'm gonna feel like such a girl in these," the girl joked.

"Pft." In her own stall, Pheno rolled her eyes. "I was half expecting them to hand us some sort of skirt…thing. Yeah, that wouldn't have worked."

"I'd up and mug someone and steal their pants," Kristie said with a laugh, shaking her head. "Oh shit! Sports bra! Least we get these, huh?"

"Seriously."

Along with the actual clothes, they each found a small backpack made of a thin enough leather that it was able to be folded and hidden among the clothing. They each threw those around their shoulders and adjusted the flexible leather straps.

When they were done, they left their old clothes, folded up in neat little piles, on the crooked table like they were asked. They each took their own maps off of the countertop, the material stiffer than paper, but glossed as if laminated, a small white circle marking their places on the detailed picture of the country, flashing every now and then.

"These are kinda cool," Kristie grinned, and reached back, placing her map in her floppy backpack, Pheno doing the same with her own map.

And without another word, the two girls moved across the creaking wooden floorboards to the door that led outside, and pushed it open, stepping into, what the brochures called it, a full-scale, traversable, true to the game model of Hyrule.


	2. Chapter 2

All around them, the people of the Market buzzed. Left and right, they were crossing the brick-paved plaza, some in a hurry, some slower and more relaxed. Though the overall feeling of the whole place was downright busy, like the thrum of an at-work beehive. No one noticed the two girls as they stood, all but frozen, in front of the door to the office. In fact, they stood stock still for a few good minutes, just watching everyone go about their business.

"…Holy shit." Kristie said, the first to break the silence between them.

"Yeah," Pheno replied.

"Holy shit."

"Uh-huh."

"Holy _shit_!"

"My thoughts exactly." Pheno walked forward a bit, Kristie hesitating to move.

"Man, this is weird. I don't want to move. What if I wake up or something?" She looked around again, taking in every detail she could; from the little girl chasing a chicken around the Market to a pair of bright-haired twins having some sort of argument across the plaza.

"First step is the hardest," Pheno teased, smirking. "C'mon, we have to walk around to play, girl."

Kristie actually held her breath, making a show of lifting her right foot, and pausing for a few seconds before scooting it forward and dropping it back to the ground. One step down.

"Hey, I'm still awake," she chirped happily.

"Omigod. Come on." Pheno reached out and tugged on her friend's sleeve, yanking her forward another few steps, and the two began to circle the Market. There was quite a bit to look at, and they would often pause to stare at someone or something. There was a crowded booth surrounded by shouting, excited people. There was a couple that held each other close, completely enamored with one another as they spun in a slow circle together. The Happy Mask shop.

All of it so familiar, though at the same time brand new. Like watching a movie that hadn't been taken off of the shelf in years, the details you'd have never thought to remember coming back to life before your eyes.

"Seriously, I'm so glad I didn't wake up," Kristie murmured, and Pheno nodded her agreement. But the red-head blinked when her friend moved closer to the center of the area.

"Okay, where too first, do you think?"

"Well hell if I know," Kristie hummed, eyes elsewhere—on that beefy guy in the green pants, in fact. He wasn't too bad lookin'.

"I remember Charles telling us…something over the phone."

"I remember him saying this won't play out exactly like the game," Kristie said a little absently, turning every other second to take in even more of the area, still a bit stunned by it all. "Like we aren't supposed to be Link. We aren't playing his part. Not his character."

Pheno snapped her fingers and nodded, "Yeah, right. I remember that. That's why we start here and not in Kokiri—"

"WAH. I can't wait to see that place! Let's go! Right now!" Kristie bubbled, and Pheno gave her a look, shutting her up for a moment. Kristie rocked back and balanced herself on her heels to keep herself from turning anymore, focusing her attention on her friend.

"Okay." Pheno crossed her arms, brows furrowing in concentration as she thought. "I want to actually win, so let's just think for a moment—"

But she paused, words cutting off in her throat as she felt a tug at the back of her shirt. Kristie leaned a bit to the side, head cocking, and Pheno looked down over her shoulder. A small girl stood there, dwarfed by the huge brown cloak she wore over a white dress, its hood up. As she looked up at them, they caught a glimpse of blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"Holy shit," said Kristie, and Pheno reached out blindly, shoving at her again without taking her eyes off of the girl.

"I had a vision you two would show up," the girl whispered. "Please, come with me." She gave another tug at Pheno's shirt before turning and hurrying away from them, towards a long path that trailed away from the Market. Out towards the tall shape of Hyrule Castle. Pheno elbowed Kristie halfway through another swear and the two trotted after her.

But the girl stopped before even getting close to the Castle, to the duo's disappointment, just beside a tree that stood at the corner of a turn in the path. There was a beat of silence as she turned to face them as they reached her at the tree. "I need your help," she said without hesitation. Slowly, she lifted her hands and pulled her hood back. "I am Princess Zelda," she said slowly, crystal blue eyes flashing.

"I knew it," whispered Kristie. If Pheno had been paying attention to her she would have rolled her eyes.

"Just before I saw the both of you in my vision…I saw someone else as well," she said, voice troubled. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders as she looked down, thinking. "There was a boy. A boy in green. I've had dreams about him before… He was supposed to come here. But something happened."

The two older girls blinked.

"I saw him…trapped. In a great tree. A great tree in a forest where no one ever grows up. He cannot escape," she said, eyes wide as she looked back up at them. "Just after I saw him, the image of you two appeared in my mind. You were fighting something terrible. Fighting in order to rescue someone. I believe that someone was the boy." She paused, glancing between them, as if gauging their reactions. "You must help him," she went on. "He…he is very important I believe. He cannot stay there. I believe his destiny is a very great one. You must help him!" she repeated, clasping her hands together in front of her.

"You do believe me, don't you?" she said softly after a few moments of silence.

Kristie and Pheno glanced at each other, both of them arching a brow, and without a word, nodded the tiniest bit at each other and smirked. It went unsaid that this was quite the neat little plot twist to fit them into the story, wasn't it?

Pheno opened her mouth to say something—to assure the girl that, yeah, they believed her, when Kristie fell to one knee in front of the princess, placing one hand on her chest and holding out the other, as if about to serenade the poor girl, eyes flashing behind her glasses as she grinned, tone acquiring a bit of an unnecessary French flourish.

"Milady," she began, and Pheno held back the urge to slap a hand to her own forehead. "Of course we believe you. The Fair Princess Zelda wouldn't ever lie!" And the Fair Princess Zelda only blinked, surprised. "We will go on this epic journey you have requested of us! And we will not fail you! We will rescue this boy so that he may fulfill his greater destiny! And with this oath we swear our undying loyalty to you and Hyrule!" With an enthusiastic wave of her arm she pulled her sword from its clip at her belt and stuck the tip into the ground in front of her, and bowed her head low, gripping the hilt with both hands.

When Zelda glanced up at Pheno, she was quick enough to come to her rescue. She reached down, and with a single tug, plopped Kristie right back up on her feet, the red head undeterred and grinning wide, obviously happy. "Yeah. We'll rescue the kid," Pheno said, casting a side-glance glare at her friend, who smiled back.

"Thank you," the Princess said, and smiled at them. "I wish you luck on your journey. And here," she said, and reached pulled a folded piece of paper from a pocket inside her cloak. "This is for you. It should help." She held the letter out for Pheno, but Kristie snatched it up.

"I will cherish it, my Princess," she said, that tiny French accent still there, and this time Pheno didn't bother holding herself back and smacked the girl in the back of the head. Kristie just laughed.

Zelda glanced towards the castle, something like worry crossing her face. "I must go. They might be looking for me by now," she murmured.

"You go on then," Pheno said, waving a hand a bit. "Don't want you getting in trouble or anything." She grinned and moved to turn away, reaching out to drag Kristie with her. Kristie waved and Pheno tugged her a little faster.

"Omigod," the dark haired girl hissed, unable to hold back her own grin however. "You are the most embarrassing thing."

"You're just jealous because I got to be the one who swore our loyalty," Kristie stated matter-of-factly.

"I am not jealous. Jealous is like the farthest thing from what I am right now."

"You're incredibly jealous."

"What the hell was that anyway? What was with the accent? What what what is this?" Pheno waved a hand at her, gesturing at her entire person. "With the bowing and the voice? You're such a goon."

"I am not!"

"Oh. Oh you are, actually. And gimme that letter, she was handing it to me," Pheno huffed.

"No way Jose. This here's my letter now. And for your in-for-may-shun," she said slowly, tucking said letter back into her backpack. "I was staying in character," she finished, bringing back that slight French accent again.

"…So you're a creepy French Princess-fangirl."

"Indeed."

"…Seriously. Goon. Written all over you."

"Your face is a goon."

"Right."

They trotted back into the Market, Kristie clipping her sword back onto her belt as they walked over the cleanly bricked ground.

"I am impressed though," Pheno said after a few moments as they headed for the gate; their destination clear at that point. "Everything's so damn amazing. And that kid was a pretty good actor, too. I was surprised she didn't bolt when you were being a nutjob."

"Pffft she was impressed. So were you. Admit it."

"Yeah, no."

"But yeah, you're right. And if they got Hyrule Market down as awesome as this, freggin' hell, I can only imagine what the hell the rest of this place is gonna look like all real-ified."

"Nice word."

"Thank you."

The sound of the crowd slowly died down a bit as they exited the market, softening into a dull, muffled sound instead of a chatty roar. They could see the field stretched out beyond the drawbridge, and another rush of that familiar giddy excitement bubbled up in both of the girls, increasing their pace just a bit.

But Pheno halted at a door nestled in the stone wall on the left side of the drawbridge, yanking Pheno to a stop with her. The dark haired girl barked out some sort of question, but quieted when Kristie moved towards the door, understanding immediately, and became just as fascinated with the idea.

Inside, the room was small. But almost wall to wall, it was absolutely filled with clay pots. The girls took a few small steps inside and stood stalk still as the door breezed shut behind them. Though instead of taking in every inch of the room, their eyes settled on a tall man standing as motionless as a statue closer to the center of the room. He never reacted to them walking in. And with the shadow his helmet cast over his eyes, neither girl could tell if he was even awake enough to look at them or not.

Silence rung in the room for a good two minutes.

"…Dude," whispered Kristie. "I am so tempted right now it's not even funny."

"What if they get mad when you break shit in this game?"

"I bet we could outrun him."

"…Seriously?"

"Well all I'd need to do is outrun you."

Pheno looked at her.

"…You little—"

"Kidding kidding don'teatme."

But again, silence stretched, and none of them moved.

Kristie glanced down at a pot beside her, so close to her boot. She looked at the guard again, staring at him. But just as before, he stood still as stone. Watching. Waiting?

Kristie's foot shot out and cracked into the pot, shattering it into pieces.

"HEY!" roared the guard, and brandishing his spear with a tight grip, took a large step towards them. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE—"

"OH SHIT RUN IT MOVES," Pheno shrieked, and the two threw the door open, slamming it shut behind them and bolting for the bridge, footfalls going from strong leather-on-wood thuds to the quieter sounds soft earth makes as the crossed the drawbridge and finally stepped onto the edge of Hyrule Field.

* * *

This thing is also up on my useless Livejournal account xD I created it a while ago and had no idea what to do with it until I started up this thing. So these chapters are also uploaded there, to Waffle_Kristie (and also prolly a few doodles to go along with the chapters once I get back to a scanner, haha)

Anyway. Oh man, wouldn't that have scared you shitless? Break a pot in that room and the guard going all "ROAR"? Pffft xD


	3. Chapter 3

Hyrule Field was another sight that would have stopped the girls dead in their tracks if it had not been for the guard startling them so much back in the small stone room a few short, panicked moments ago. The grass stretched on and on, and off in the distance the large, odd rock walls jutting out of the ground and up towards the sky that surrounded the Lon Lon Ranch could be seen.

Pheno led them as they continued to run, that same bit of fear, mixed with the familiar little rush of excitement that was similar to not being 'It' in a game of tag spurred them on, grinning wide, every now and then glancing back over their shoulders to check if that angry guard was after them at all, and though he never was, they ran anyway.

Despite this, it didn't take long for the two to run out of breath, neither of them being the best athletes in the world. In only a few minutes, sprinting had fell to running, which descended into jogging, which slowed even more to walking, which finally stopped with them halting completely, placing their hands on their knees and catching their breaths. Though the two girls were still grinning, every once in a while a laugh breaking through.

"I…am a little upset…" Kristie began, staring at a patch of grass in front of her as she struggled to catch her breath. "That we can't break shit and not get yelled at here."

"Well," Pheno said back, laughing again, which only made breathing that much more difficult. "M-makes more sense, anyway."

"Screw making sense, this is a video game!"

Both of them laughed again.

When the two of them could stand straight again, they looked around at their surroundings a bit more closely. A small river flowed along quietly beside them on their left, nestled close to the tall rock cliffs that surrounded the entire field. Grass stretched out on their right. Looking behind them, a tall hill blocked the site of a stone bridge they had passed earlier.

"The bridge woulda led over to that Kakariko place, right?" Kristie hummed, and Pheno nodded. "Thought so.

Up ahead they could see the cliff split, where the river—Zora River—flowed from. That would lead to "The Zora Domain's that way?" Kristie pointed at the curve up ahead. When Pheno nodded again, the red head grinned and crossed her arms like she'd accomplished something. "Well at least we ran off the right way. Kokiri's on this side of the Field."

"Uh-huh." Again, Pheno nodded, and with that began walking again. Where the river split to go back towards the Castle behind them, it also split in the opposite direction for a short way away from the main river, where it pooled into a large pond. Kristie splashed at it with her boot as they skirted around it.

"I always thought there was something important that had to do with this stupid puddle but pft." She shrugged. "I mean, Navi turned green and stuff when you'd have Link go near it."

"I remember that. Didn't care enough to figure it out," she laughed.

The field wasn't so large as to be extremely intimidating to hike across, but it was large enough to make the two girls complain now and then.

"Freakin' hell, when do we get a horse?" Kristie would joke, and Pheno would let out a laugh and say something like "Yeah. Seriously." But they didn't stop for any break. It was an easy walk nonetheless, despite the rolling hills that dotted the large stretch of land. Relaxing even. And Kristie swore that if you listened very quietly, you could barely hear the theme song for Hyrule Field playing somewhere far away.

Something shifted up ahead of them on the grass and the two halted. Nestled among a few widely spaced, thin trees, sat a tall, fat flower bud looking plant. The two recognized the thing instantly for what it was and didn't move a single muscle as the realization hit.

"Did the thing see us?" Pheno hissed.

"Goddamn Helicopter of Death, omigod," Kristie hissed back. Clearly that must have meant "I don't know."

"I don't think it saw us," Pheno went on, voice quiet but harsh. "We should just go around it. They only get antsy when you get too close."

"Yeah good plan. I ain't fightin' one of those until I have at least one more damn heart. I am so bad fighting these things. Peahats or whatever." She paused. "Stupid name for a monster."

"Shut up and let's go," Pheno growled, and tugged her friends sleeve backwards. They trotted away from it a few steps before moving to circle around it. The entrance to the Kokiri Forest shouldn't be very far from where they were. Though they kept their eyes on the plant-beast instead of looking out for the forest; once they were out of that thing's sights completely they could worry about things like that a little more seriously.

And therefore, with their attention so focused on the single monster, it was all too easy for the duo to miss the second Peahat. It was a rude monster as well, ruining a moment between the girls that would have been one of cocky triumph. The two had turned around, backs to that single beastie that had startled them so much, smirking at one another. And on turning around…

They were able to get the perfect view of that second Peahat as it burst from the ground a few feet in front of them, the huge blade-like leaves at the bottom of the flower bud spinning fiercely to keep it airborne as it tilted and made its way towards them. 'Helicopter of Death' indeed.

"SHIT," Kristie shieked, backing up a few steps, Pheno following suit, eyes wide. "Shitshitshit!"

The Peahat drew closer and Pheno was the first to yank her sword form its clip at her belt. "Alright, you dumbass flower, this is two to one!" she growled, and stopped, standing her ground as Kristie continued to skip back a few steps. "If you think you even stand a—"

There was another, familiar sound of ripping earth and whirring air.

"Phenoooo," Kristie whined and the dark-haired girl closed her eyes for a moment, inwardly groaning.

"Kristie. If we die I'm gonna kill you."

"I didn't do it!"

But at that point the Peahats had both drawn in too close to ignore, and both of their dull-tipped swords were out and ready. Pheno edged around hers to get at its weak point while Kristie merely tried to keep a tree between herself and her own attacker. Unlike the game, the trees actually posed as something the Peahats needed to move around, and didn't just clip through, hologram or not.

When that weak point showed itself, Pheno ducked her head a bit and leapt forward, slicing down with her sword. The dull blade phased through the weak spot and the Peahat let out a shriek. It didn't right itself quickly enough to touch her, and she was able to strike it again. Moving quickly to avoid those spinning blade, she hit the thing two more times. But with a small yelp, her foot stumbled over a small dip in the earth. Though as she fell, she swung upwards, and her blade barely nicked the edge of the base of the plant just before the blades would have touched her legs. It was the last strike she needed.

The Peahat gave one last shriek and soared upwards where it exploded in a fiery blast, making Pheno blink a few times to shake off the brightness of it. But she laughed in triumph after a moment, grinning back over her shoulder to see how her friend had progressed. Just as she did, she watched Kristie, a good fifteen feet away from the Peahat, actually throw her sword. She was either a very good aim or extremely lucky as the sword flew right through the monster, through the weak spot, and it screamed, careening upwards where it too, exploded.

Kristie was frowning deep, and flopped onto her back after glaring up at the spot her enemy had vaporized.

"You okay bud?" Pheno laughed, trotting closer. She picked up her friend's sword as she passed it, bringing it to her.

"Those things can just kiss my ass," Kristie growled. "Or go to hell. Or both. Omigod."

"Well you beat it, right?"

Kristie held up her arm, twisting her wrist so Pheno could see her health points. Two of the hearts were missing.

"…Pft. That's not so bad. There'll be hearts in Kokiri."

"Did you get hurt at all?"

Pheno cleared her throat and held Kristie's sword down to her for her to take, glancing away and pressing her lips together. "Uh," was all she said.

"…Gaaagh." Kristie let her head thunk back onto the soft grass. "Y'know. I should totally be armless right now. And headless. Note to self: don't trip when you're trying not to die."

Pheno didn't mention that she herself had tripped during her fight. She might've gotten that sword thrown at her if she did. The thought made her laugh again as she helped Kristie up, and the red head mumbled something about 'being crippled not being funny'.

"You aren't crippled you idiot," Pheno laughed, very amused. "Just c'mon. We're really close. We'll look for some hearts for you once we're in the forest, okay? There isn't anything that can kill you just inside anyway."

Kristie mumbled something else about Peahats going to hell a second time. Pheno just laughed harder, and the two clipped their weapons back onto their belts.

The thin forest (if it could even be called that) thickened the smallest bit as they moved on. Things here were a little different than the game, but not at all in a bad way. It made this place feel more real. Natural. But Charles had said himself a few times not to expect an exact carbon copy of Ocarina of Time.

The familiar gap in the field-enclosing cliffs loomed up ahead, the old, stripped trees guarding the entrance to the forest they had been searching for. Kristie held up her fist and the two tapped knuckles as they sped up their pace just a bit, eager. This was where the good stuff was supposed to start up, right? The Peahats were a nice touch to liven things up, but Kristie wasn't exactly thrilled about that little brush with adventure.

Not that she was at all grumpy anymore at the moment. If anything, she was beaming.

"Oh boy oh boy," she squealed, clapping her hands together. "Shit, dude, I'm gonna just die of happiness before we even get there. This is like one of my favorite places in the whole game."

"It's the shiny stuff flying around in the air right?" Pheno teased. "That's why you like it so much."

"Shut up. You like the shiny stuff too."

"Pft." Pheno rolled her eyes. "Those Peahats were pretty shiny. I dunno about you—" but Kristie cut her off with a playful shove and Pheno just grinned. "I'm just saying!"

The two entered the narrow, closed in path. Dead leaves littered the ground and they crunched under the girls' feet. When the huge tunnel-like log entrance appeared ahead, the two quickened their pace again. In a second it had become a race, the two sprinting until Kristie disappeared into the deep shadows of the log first.

"_It won't last_."

Pheno almost tripped to a stop, reaching out, pressing a hand to the inside of the log as she stepped onto the ledge. The voice had been behind her. Not close enough for her to expect someone to be only an inch from her face if she were to turn around, but…

She turned and looked over her shoulder. That soft, growling voice was definitely close enough for her to see whomever had spoken, but…nobody was around. The closed in path was completely empty, save for a few of those trees pressed tight to the stone walls. But she would have easily been able to see someone if they were trying to hide… She looked around at the quiet space for a few more seconds before turning slowly again, arching a brow as she jogged into the shadows of the log, towards the Kokiri Forest.

"Well," she mumbled. "That's new."

And she was completely unaware of the dark, twisting thing that peered after her from its hiding spot nestled in the shadows, flat to the earth beneath the dead leaves. The instant she vanished into the depths of the tunnel, it was gone.

* * *

Not very proud of this chapter :C Dunno why. Just doesn't feel very good, lol.

And oh my, what's this? Who is this creepy mystery creeper?

I dunno I guess we'll find out later or somethin' v.v


	4. Chapter 4

The log tunnel opened onto a bridge built out of old planks of wood and thick rope. It was strong, but rocked and swayed slightly as Pheno stepped onto it. Kristie was waiting for her on the other side of the bridge, but was looking down at the sudden drop into a narrow strip of the forest the bridge stretched over. She grinned up at her friend when Pheno drew closer.

"Beat you."

"Shut up, I was distracted."

"Oh ho yeah sure," Kristie grinned wider and looked back down over the edge of the bridge, the top of the rope railing high enough to press into her shoulders.

"No really. They're adding stuff in that wasn't in the game," Pheno hummed, looking over her shoulder, remembering that low, dangerous voice.

"Well Charles said it'd be like that," Kristie muttered, and pressed away from the railing, the bridge tilting ever so slightly.

"Yeah, but…" Pheno paused, crossing her arms. "There was this creepy voice."

Kristie's interest sparked in her eyes and she looked back at her friend. "Oooh, spooky voice?"

"Yeah. I should tell you in case it's part of some puzzle or something, but it said 'It won't last'. It was weird. Turned around and no one was there."

"Bloody holograms. Haw," Kristie drawled. "Or…no wait, those are stuff you can see, but aren't real. I meant hidden speakers. Is there a fancy word for hidden speakers?"

"Nope," Pheno moved closer to the center of the bridge before walking towards the other huge, hollow log it led to. "Not that I can think of at least." She shrugged and the two disappeared into the thick shadows of the tunnel side by side.

"That is creepy though. Wonder what it'll mean later," the red head hummed, thinking silently for a few seconds. Their footsteps sounded thick, and echoed a little, while gap at the end of the tunnel widened. The two girls squinted, the shadowy light on the bridge and the darkness of the log making the sudden burst of healthy sunlight bother their eyes for a short moment.

"…" Kristie's mouth opened to say something but Pheno cut her off.

"You say 'shit' again, I'm gonna hit you."

Kristie's mouth closed, but she was perfectly content with just looking around in silence anyway. She took a few steps forward on the dirt path, boots leaving prints in the tightly packed soil. All around, everything was green enough to make Kristie wonder if Charles hadn't just had a paint crew come in and slap an unearthly bright layer of color over everything.

Houses that looked as if they were each individually carved out of massive trees dotted the open clearing of the Kokiri Forest, though neither girl spotted any of the childlike inhabitants wandering around. In fact, it was very, very quiet.

And in the air, light danced.

Bright, wispy dots of yellow and white that swirled and rolled all around them.

"I told you shiny things were awesome," Kristie muttered, and reached out, watching as the little speck of light danced away from her hand, avoiding her. "It's so cute." She stared at it for another moment, hard, and blinked when the image flickered out for a split second before returning.

Beneath their boots, the earth seemed to quiver, and the two girls froze, neither moving, as if waiting to see if that feeling had been real; if it would happen again.

"Was that an earthquake—"

"Hey!" a voice called, and their heads snapped up from the ground, attention focusing on a small girl running towards them. A girl with a grass-colored tunic down to her knees and short, green hair. Kristie dropped her hand from the speck in the air and Pheno took a few steps closer to stand beside her.

When the girl reached them she stopped, a bit out of breath. As close as she was, they could see her eyes were green as well. "You have to help us," she began. "My friend—our friend Link! He's trapped!" She pointed at their swords in turn. "You both are warriors, right?"

"My lady!" Kristie pressed a hand to her chest and gasped. "We are the best!" Completely distracted by her newest opportunity to be 'in character' (which in Pheno's opinion just meant goofing off—she was a goon after all) Kristie forgot all about the tiny little tremor in the earth for a moment.

Pheno, however, looked around the wide open space again while Kristie spouted nonsense about how the two of them were the greatest knights in the land and Link had nothing at all to worry about and blah blah blah.

And at one point Pheno's attention left her friend completely. It wasn't that she was irritated enough to ignore her—on the contrary, listening to Kristie when she was being a weirdo was amusing as hell—but she was overcome with a strange sensation that made her senses sharpen in anxiety. Someone was watching them. It was a familiar feeling, sure, but…there was an edge to it. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end while the rest of her bristled, as if bracing herself, and she knew that whoever was watching…was dangerous as well.

"—So this Great Deku Tree…" Pheno caught, focusing on her friend again. "He's cursed too?"

"Yes!" the young girl nodded. She seemed excited. Moreso than the Zelda-girl did when Kristie went all Broadway at her. She seemed to like acting her part right back. It was amusing enough to almost break Pheno's thoughts completely and make her laugh. But she glanced over her shoulder again, the action fueling an actual bit of fear to spike up in her stomach, and she forgot about even smiling.

The log tunnel they came in through was dark. Thick, black shadows crammed the edges, only a small bit of dim light where the other side of the tunnel fed out to was visible. And it made her stomach turn. There was something in there. Right there, in the tunnel, but she couldn't see it.

"Kristie?" she began, voice low, but the red head was on a loud, obnoxious roll, and Pheno realized that out of the three of them, she was the only one who might have been irritated. The green haired girl was absolutely loving it.

"Take us to this Deku Tree then! Pheno! We must go! And rescue the boy!" Kristie roared, and grabbed her friend's arm as the young girl nodded. "Saria! Lead the way!"

Pheno blinked and looked away from the tunnel again. She should have maybe paid a bit more attention to the conversation—not that she hadn't know the girl was Saria anyway. The green hair was enough of a giveaway. But she shook her head, growling under her breath and following after Saria as the girl turned on her heel and began to lead them through down the dirt path between the massive tree-houses. At least they were leaving the tunnel behind.

She looked over her shoulder again as Kristie continued to hold onto her arm, tugging her along, and watched it. She half expected to see someone duck out of it, or step out and wave at her, the joke over. But that voice from earlier…the two had to be connected. Creepy voice plus creepy someone-is-watching-you feeling? Yeah. Duh. She wondered if in this new version of the game the big-bad villains appeared earlier than in the console version.

…Oh man, what if she'd just gotten the heebie-jeebies from Ganondorf or something?

That'd be pretty bad ass. And she made a note to tell Kristie about it when the Saria girl was gone. …Though she'd leave out that bit of fear that she felt. In fact…she'd just call it 'adrenaline'. Adrenaline sounded better. Yeah. She hadn't been scared. Not really. Pft, it was just a game, after all. It was just—

Something dark—something slithery—slipped out of the shadows of the log and vanished into the grass.

…

Oookay what was that. Were there shadow monsters in the original game? Well, not this early. And why the hell wasn't the Saria kid pointing it out of it was supposed to be some new villain? Maybe she forgot. Kristie spouting French-accented heroic poetry probably glazed a few important facts out of the kid's mind. Yeah, that made sense. She'd stick with that one.

Pheno almost tripped into a pond that Saria led them to, righting herself in time and shaking Kristie's hold off of her arm. There were a few stepping stones to get across without having to wade through waist-deep water, and the trio hopped them one at a time until they reached the other side. A narrow path broke the mossy, ivy-covered cliff that walled the forest in, and Saria stopped at the entrance, placing a hand against the cool wall and peering into the path.

"He's just down this trail. Please save our friends, brave knights," she said.

Kristie bowed deep and Pheno rolled her eyes, stepping around her and down the trail. "We got it," she called, though was tense, glancing left and right, half expecting some sort of dark, shadowy monster to show itself unexpectedly, since Saria didn't warn them like she was supposed to. And Saria never did run after them to give them a heads up either. Either she really had forgotten, the monster was supposed to be a surprise anyway, or…well, she didn't know. Hologram glitch?

But as they moved down the trail, nothing dark and sinister ever appeared. There were no monsters. And when the path opened up into a much larger clearing, the two stared up at a great tree, much larger than any of the trees the Kokiri's houses had been built from. Much, much larger.

The entrance into the Great Deku Tree was already opened, looking as if the tree had dropped his jaw to the ground. He didn't say a word to them as they stepped into the clearing slowly. His bark was already graying, as if death had already began to catch a hold of him.

"I always cry at this part," Kristie murmured. "I swear to God, I always cry like a baby."

"Pft." Pheno smirked and picked up the pace, jogging a few steps closer, and froze when a deep, pained voice echoed around the clearing.

"Help…Me…" it whispered, and Kristie frowned so deep her mouth looked like a twisted C. "…Help…Him…" And then it was silent. The clearing was so quiet, the rustle of the wind in the leaves was almost deafening.

Pheno looked back at her friend and blinked.

"OhGawdI'mnotgonnacry. I'mnotgonnacry," she hissed between clenched teeth, her jaw set.

"Aw, c'mon buddy. We'll save 'em. Plus you already know what happens later."

Kristie drew in a short breath and held it before nodding, and stomped up beside her friend, the two of them stepping into the gaping mouth of the Great Deku Tree, disappearing inside the first big step of the game.

…

Outside of the Great Deku Tree, something dark slipped along the ground, hugging the earth, slipping simultaneously between the thin shadows of healthy grass stalks. It maneuvered after the girls, following their footsteps through the trail, and finally, slipped inside the tree as well.

On the other side of the path, out of the Great Deku Tree's clearing, the young girl who played Saria screamed when the ground gave a sudden jolt and shook violently, sending her toppling onto her knees. It shook and shook and shook, the girl digging her fingers into the grass as if that might keep the earth from splitting beneath her. And while she worried about herself, she, of course, had no idea that the entrance to the tall, proud structure that was the Great Deku Tree, collapsed, trapping, if not crushing, the girls inside.

* * *

Well shit biscuits, that ain't good.

Review if you think getting stuck in a giant tree would suck D:


End file.
